Better This Way (Revised)
by FloatingAmoeba
Summary: Set at the beginning of S5 after Lilly was shot. Lilly/Scotty with a hint of Kat/Vera. First part of the trilogy. NOW BEING REVISED.
1. Chapter 1 - History

A/N: So. This is happening. It's been a long time, guys. But I needed to write, and wasn't ready to dive into new things, so decided on revising this. It'll be longer, better. I hope you enjoy it as much as you did originally.

Disclaimer: I do not own Cold Case or any of the characters.

* * *

Nick Vera felt like his day had started off great. Not only were the Phillies heading to the playoffs, he'd managed to snag the last jelly donut from the box before Miller got a look-in. They had no cases, and Nick felt sure he could spend the day slipping his own paperwork onto someone else's desk. Probably Valens'. He chuckled to himself. Yup, his day was definitely off to a great start.

With a bounce in his step and sugar on his lips, Nick started back to his desk. He'd made it two steps before his eyes sharpened in on the woman just inside the department doors, clutching her purse close. Her long dark hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her eyes darted nervously around the room.

"Ma'am, can I help you?" Nick said. The woman startled slightly, looking towards him uncertainly.

"Are you a detective?"

Vera nodded. He gestured towards his desk, and after a moment's hesitation, the woman took the seat beside him.

"What can I help you with?" The woman said nothing for a long moment. Vera felt unease settle in the pit of his stomach. He leant forward slightly then said, "Ma'am, I'd like to help you if I can."

She nodded slowly, her eyes flicking to his before resting on his tie.

"My daughter was murdered back in 2003. The police believe I killed her."

She spoke quickly and quietly, to the point, and Nick sat back in his seat, regarding her with shrewd eyes. Her fingers clenched and unclenched around the strap of her purse.

"I'm guessin' you didn't?"

Dark eyes returned to his, "No. But I think I know who did."

* * *

Detective Lilly Rush walked into the department, the chill from outside still biting at her face and fingers. Glancing around, she removed her coat, hanging it over the back of her chair and tucking her scarf into one of the sleeves. She ran a hand over her hair, loose flakes of snow melting in her hand.

Seeing an empty cup on Vera's desk, Lilly looked around, frowning slightly. _Where is everyone?_ As she turned towards the break room, a cup of coffee was unceremoniously shoved under her nose. She blinked.

"Mornin', Lil," said a familiar voice. Lilly wondered at the coffee, trying to think if once again she'd forgotten her own birthday. Taking the cup from her partner, she offered a smile.

"Morning, Scotty," she replied, then added, "Thanks. For the coffee."

"No problem. Black, one sugar, right?"

Lilly nodded, lifting the cup to her lips and taking a grateful sip. Perfect. Seeing her partner looking at her with an odd look on his face, Lilly raised a questioning eyebrow.

"What?" she questioned. Scotty shook his head, gave an awkward chuckle. He shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Nothin'. Sorry. Boss wants to see us."

Lilly frowned, taking another sip of coffee and then set it down. "Already?"

Scotty nodded. "Vera caught a case. A cold one."

Intrigued, Lilly quickly set her gun in her drawer, and together they walked the short distance to Stillman's office. Their boss looked up as Scotty knocked on the door.

"Morning, Scotty. Lil."

"We got a case, boss?" Lilly asked quietly, taking a seat. Stillman passed a file to Scotty, who leant against the wall to flip it open.

"Ten year old Katy Jones," Stillman said, "Found dead in her home on January 19th, 2003."

Sitting up and taking the file from Scotty, Lilly frowned slightly, "Suspects?"

"Her mother. No charges, but prints were found at the crime scene."

Scotty shrugged, "Fair enough. It was her house, right? She got an alibi?"

Stillman hesitated, and Lilly felt the weight of his gaze rest on her. "Of sorts. Claims she was passed out upstairs."

She looked up, eyes narrowing.

"Junkie?"

Stillman shook his head, "Alcoholic. There had been reports of neglect, child endangerment."

Scotty winced inwardly, and watched as his partner slid a mask of careful indifference into place. After a beat of uncomfortable silence, Lilly cleared her throat, ignoring her partner's concerned look.

"Father in the picture?"

"None listed on any records. No sign of a man living at the house at the time of the murder."

Lilly felt her heart sink, but pressed on. "So what do we think? Mom did it?"

Scotty shook his head, "If she did it, why'd she bring it to us?" Stillman hummed an agreement, but didn't miss the doubtful glance Lilly sent her partner.

"Where's the case at now?" she asked.

"Been cold a long time. Never enough to charge the mother, investigating officer died a few weeks back. The mother, Miss Charlotte Jones, is in with Vera now."

Scotty straightened up, folding his arms, "What do you want us to do, boss?"

"Run some more checks, see if you can find anything about the father," Stillman instructed, "I also want you to follow up on the mother's background. Maybe the original team missed something."

Lilly nodded, a pit growing in her stomach and unable to shake the feeling that she should have just stayed in bed. She wished Scotty would stop looking at her like...that.

"Let's get to it," she said, standing. Scotty quickly moved to get the door, earning a small quirk of the lips from the blonde who suddenly looked like a heavy weight had settled on her shoulders.

Nodding to his boss, Scotty pulled the door closed behind him. He followed his partner to the break room, hesitating in the doorframe as Lilly stared into a near empty box of donuts. When she gave no acknowledgement of his presence, nor selected a donut, Scotty stepped towards her.

"You alright?"

Lilly jumped, turning to look at him. She swallowed, then nodded.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" It was a stupid thing to say, and when he moved closer to stand at her elbow, Lilly wished she hadn't said anything at all. Scotty scoffed lightly, realizing too late that this was dangerous ground to tread.

"Come on, Lil."

She took a step back, fixing him with what she hoped was an icy glare.

"I'm fine, Scotty."

Frustration brought spots of pink to his cheeks, his dark eyes flashing with temper.

"Why can't you admit that this case is going to get to you?"

"Nothin' to admit, Scotty," Lilly said quietly, her soft voice laced with warning, "I'm fine."

"You still gonna be fine when we interview the alcoholic mother who let her child get beaten to death 'cause she was passed out drunk?"

She stared at him, and the anger in her eyes nagged at him less than the hurt. Scotty swore softly, running a hand over his face.

"Shit, Lil, I'm sorry."

"Forget it," Lilly muttered as she pushed past him. Watching her retreat to her desk and torn between following her and not, Scotty cursed again.

 _Great_ , he thought. He'd managed to piss off his partner, and it wasn't even nine o'clock. With a sigh, Scotty refilled his own cup of coffee, steeling himself for what he was sure would be an uncomfortable day. _Better get used to the doghouse, Valens. You sure know how to land yourself there._


	2. Chapter 2 - Looks Can Be Deceiving

By eleven in the morning, Scotty had called himself every name under the sun and was contemplating throwing himself at his partner's feet and begging for forgiveness. Anything to break the cold silence that stretched from her desk across to his.

Lilly, meanwhile, had managed to convince herself that she'd overreacted, but each time she opened her mouth to say something, she remembered Scotty's thoughtless words and sunk back into a sullen silence. She tried to lose herself in paperwork, poring through notes and old records, trying to find some evidence the original team had missed. So far, there was nothing.

They both looked up in relief as Vera appeared beside them. He loosened his tie, dropping into an empty chair.

"You get anythin' from the mom?"

Nick shook his head, reaching for Lilly's coffee. At her narrowed eyes, he pulled his hand back. "Nope, nothin'. Claims she was too out of it to hear anythin'. I believe her."

Lilly stood up suddenly, dropping her pen to the desk and making a beeline for the interview room. Scotty and Vera exchanged worried glances.

"She's your partner, man," Nick said, lifting his hands. Scotty shrugged, and after making a quick detour, followed after her.

"Lil." Outside the interview room, Lilly paused as Scotty said her name. Turning, she took a breath and prepared to go toe to toe with him again. But as she faced him, all of the fire seemed to vanish.

He'd brought her a donut. And the case file. Watching her face carefully, Scotty thrust the paper napkin in her direction, setting the file down beside her.

"You didn't get one this morning," he said simply. Lilly looked at him, and seeing the apology in his eyes, took the offering. She bit into it, arching an eyebrow at the chocolate filling.

"How'd you manage to get a chocolate filled donut away from Miller?" she asked. Relieved that she was talking to him, Scotty grinned.

"Traded it for two jellies outta the next box."

Lilly felt a matching smile curve her lips. As she took another bite of donut, Kat Miller appeared behind Scotty. Taking in the situation with shrewd eyes, she arched an eyebrow and smirked.

"You must have messed up real bad," she surmised. Lilly blushed, turning away to finish her snack. Scotty glared at Miller, accomplishing nothing but making her smile bigger.

"You need somethin'?" he shot back. Miller sobered, nodding her head at the observation room door.

"Came to get the run down."

Dusting sugar off her hands and slipping the file under her arm, Lilly pushed open the door and the three of them filed in, all business once more. For a moment, they just stood and watched the woman sitting anxiously on the other side of the glass. Scotty cast a sideways glance at his partner.

"She don't look like no alcoholic," he said quietly. Lilly drew her piercing blue eyes away from the window to meet his.

"Looks can be deceiving," she replied softly, moving towards the interview room.

"You want company?" Miller asked. Lilly shook her head, giving her colleague a quick smile.

"I've got it."

Scotty knew better than to question her, but still couldn't dislodge the lump of unease that settled in his stomach. He nodded, and his partner took a deep breath, then entered the other room. She shut the door behind her.

Charlotte Jones, pale and drawn, shifted in her seat. She watched the detective as she sat down in the opposite chair, setting a slim file in front of her and resting her elbows on the table edge.

Miss Jones shifted uncomfortably under Lilly's intense stare, not sure who this cold and silent blond was. Scotty could sympathize - he'd often been on the receiving end of that stare. As recently as this morning, in fact.

The moment stretched on. The mother of their victim swallowed hard, her hands tightening around the arms of the chair.

"Aren't...aren't you going to ask me anything?" she asked eventually.

Lilly shrugged. "Why? I heard you couldn't remember anything."

The silence returned, and Lilly used the opportunity to examine the woman sitting opposite her. Scotty had been right, she realized. Miss Jones didn't look like an alcoholic. Her eyes were a dark brown, clear of any hungover haze and full of a deep pain. Her hands and their white knuckled grip didn't shake in withdrawal. _Looks can be deceiving_ , Lilly reminded herself.

"I didn't kill my daughter," Charlotte Jones said. Lilly shifted, and Scotty saw the tense muscles in her back and shoulders tighten more.

"Didn't you?"

"You think I did."

Lilly shrugged, "I don't know yet." Almost reluctantly, Lilly opened the folder, sparing it no more than a glance, "You worked at the liquor shop on the corner of 64th and Main."

The other woman nodded, "Yes."

"Must have been hard, an alcoholic working in a liquor store," Lilly pressed.

"Not that hard. I was mostly too drunk to care. I survived."

"Katy didn't. That's on you."

Watching from next door, Miller sucked in a sharp breath at her colleague's harsh tone. Scotty shot her a sideways glance.

"You good?"

Miller turned to him, then waved a hand towards his partner, "You ever think she could ease up a little? Not go in so hard?"

He felt the heated defense of his partner bubbling up in his throat, loud and bitter, but before he could let it out, Lilly's voice piped up again.

"Maybe you didn't kill her," she said quietly, "But you didn't do anything to protect her. A little drink, now and then. That's how it starts, right? But then it starts to be more than now and then. Every day. Every meal. Every hour in between. Then being sober is worse so you just drink."

"And I'll never forgive myself for that," Miss Jones replied, tears clogging her voice, "I've been sober for years, detective. Since the day Katy died. I've been going to meetings every week."

Feeling slightly nauseous, Lilly nodded slowly, and decided she'd pushed hard enough. For now.

"Tell me about those meetings."

* * *

Miller slipped out just as Stillman stepped in. Scotty stood in the same spot, sleeves rolled up, staring intently at the two women speaking softly. Stillman nodded his head in Lilly's direction.

"How's she doing?"

Scotty shook his head, "She went hard, boss. But the mom 'fessed to going to regular AA meetings, something we didn't know before."

"I didn't mean about the interrogation, Scotty," Stillman said, "How's she doing?"

Scotty shrugged helplessly. "Damned if I know, boss. Damned if I know."


	3. Chapter 3 - Truth & Lies

A/N Thanks for all of your reviews and comments. I'm glad people are enjoying this so far.

* * *

An hour later, Lilly was still in Interrogation. Vera and Miller had returned to their desks, combing through the Katy Jones case files. Jeffries, having arrived mid-morning and been filled in on their latest victim, and disgruntled that the donut box was empty, leaned back in his chair.

"Lil must be going pretty hard in there," he observed. Vera looked at his watch, knowing there was little to do until Rush came out with new information. Miller chuckled at the pained expression that flashed across his face.

"How long has she been in there? There ain't nothin' more Lil can get that I didn't," he sulked. Jeffries laughed.

"You'd be surprised. Maybe Miss Jones needed a feminine touch." Vera scowled and uttered some choice words, just as Scotty dropped into his own chair. Lilly, barely missing the corner of her desk because her eyes were fixed in the file, stood beside him.

"Bobby Dillon," she stated. Miller, still stinging from her colleague's interrogation technique, rolled her eyes.

"You gonna explain that or do we just have to wait?"

Blinking at the sharp tone, Lilly finally looked up, "Oh, sorry. I was...the AA group leader. Bobby Dillon. Anyone talk to him? I couldn't see any interview notes."

Scotty sat up. Vera and Jeffries exchanged confused glances.

"Lil, the group leader is called James Walker," Will said, offering her a sheet of paper. Lilly took it from him, and scanned it. She counted to three, before heading back into the interrogation room. Scotty was right behind her, shutting the door. Lilly sat down in her previous seat. _Damn if I'm going to let this woman play me_ , she thought angrily. She felt Scotty's eyes burning into his back, and could practically feel his concern.

"Miss Jones, are you familiar with a man called James Walker?" Lilly asked. The brunette shook her head.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm certain. I don't know anybody called James."

"Then perhaps you can explain why James Walker is listed as the group leader at your Alcoholics Anonymous sessions."

Miss Jones shook her head again, "You're wrong. I told you, my group leader was Bobby. Bobby Dillon. I don't know any James."

Scotty shrugged, "So help us out. Explain why we have witness testimony from someone you claim not to know."

Complete confusion was written across Miss Jones' face. Lilly's eyes were cold, her temper beginning to wear. She placed the condemning piece of paper on the table, slid it across to the suspect, pointing to a paragraph.

"Read that."

Miss Jones looked down at the paper, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Character witnesses…Charlotte Jones. Mr James Walker, Alcoholics Anonymous group leader," she read, "But I don't understand. I don't know him. Bobby led every meeting I went to."

"I think you're lying," Lilly stated simply. Scotty crouched down beside the table.

"Give us something, Charlotte. We wanna know what happened."

"I don't know," she sobbed, "I don't know."

Desperation colored her words and her cheeks. Sensing Lilly was gearing up for another barrage of questions, Scotty stood quickly, touching his partner lightly on the shoulder.

"Can I talk to you?"

Lilly glared at him, "Right now?"

"Right now," he affirmed. His partner sighed heavily, rolled her eyes and flung open the door to the main office. He spoke quietly to the uniformed officer who had stepped into the room, then followed her out and closed the door. Lilly turned furiously to face him.

"What the hell are you doing?" she snapped, "I almost had her."

"Had her what, Lil? Had her totally and utterly destroyed? She had no clue what you were talking about."

Lilly laughed incredulously, "God, Scotty, people lie! Are you really that..." She stopped herself suddenly, and turned away, running a hand through the end of her ponytail. He waited a moment, watched as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Let her go, Lil. Tell her to come back tomorrow, go at her fresh."

"He's right, Rush." At Stillman's voice, her back stiffened, her head lifting a little higher. Scotty tore his eyes away.

"You got somethin', boss?"

"No record of a James Walker ever working as a group leader. No record of a James Walker ever listed at the address he gave investigating officers."

Scotty gaped, "How'd they miss that? That's huge, boss."

Stillman nodded, "It is. We need to find him. Get down to the 22nd Street community center and see if you can find anybody who remembers James Walker, Bobby Dillon, or Charlotte Jones."

Grateful for the reprieve, Lilly hurriedly grabbed her coat and scarf. Avoiding all eye contact, she practically ran towards the elevator, slipping through the doors before Scotty had a chance to even get his coat. Whatever truce they had reached earlier had ended.

Stillman watched her disappear. Turning back to his male detective, he frowned.

"You want to tell me what that was about?"

Scotty shook his head, "Nothin'."

"Sure about that?" his boss questioned.

"It's all good, boss," Scotty said, "Nothin' a coffee and a muffin won't fix." It was weak, and they both knew it. Stillman nodded slowly.

"Better hope she doesn't throw them at you."

* * *

Luckily for both of them, there was a coffee shop at the base of the police building. Scotty avoided it as much as possible - why pay five bucks for a coffee when he could get it for free upstairs? I mean, the muffins were nice, but still. Not as good as a donut.

Somehow, he didn't think a second donut would cut it with Lil.

Slightly out of breath from the run down the stairs, hoping to catch his partner, Scotty waited impatiently until he reached the counter.

"Double mocha latte, extra shot, cream and chocolate sprinkles," he said hurriedly, already pushing a ten over the counter, "and a chocolate chip muffin."

The barista raised an amused eyebrow, but rang the order up anyway.

"Who'd you piss off?" he asked, handing over what Scotty deemed to be an outrageously small amount of change. The detective glared at the coffee-making change withholder.

"'Scuse me?"

"I work here eight 'til five, seven days a week. Double mocha latte, extra shot, cream and chocolate sprinkles? That's a chick's drink," the guy said with a smirk, passing Scotty the paper bag that held the muffin. Scotty ground his teeth together, watching as another barista passed a cup forward.

"Just get me the damn drink," he said irritably, watching as the worker fitted the lid onto the cardboard cup. The barista grinned, and Scotty reluctantly dropped his change in the tip jar.

"So who is she? Girlfriend?"

"Somethin' like that," Scotty replied, before jogging to the car park, doing his very best to not spill double mocha latte on his clean suit. He was somewhat successful, but still breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the white blonde head waiting next to the car. _At least she didn't drive off_ , he thought.

Slowing to a walk, Scotty cleared his throat.

"Heard you coming," Lilly said quietly. He smiled, pleased that the heat had left her voice. With a sigh, she turned around to face him. Scotty held out the coffee and the bag.

"Second peace offering of the day."

Lilly raised a questioning eyebrow, taking the bag and peering inside. Her heart stuttered. Taking a cautious sip of the coffee, her eyes widened.

"My favorite," she said. Scotty nodded, grinning.

"I know."

A soft smile spread across her face, and a pink blush crept into her cheeks, "You didn't have to."

"I know. But I wanted to."

Her blush deepened, and resting her coffee on top of the car, threw the car keys in his direction.

"Well thanks. Now let's go."

Scotty felt his grin widen at her red cheeks and hidden smile, and for once, did as he was told. They rode in companionable silence to the 22nd Street community center. Lilly felt a warmth settle in her chest, one that grew every time she took a sip of coffee or a bite of muffin.

Her partner was a good man. She made a note to tell him more.

The good feeling faded as they pulled up outside. It was run down, like most of this side of town, paint peeling away in despair. Passers-by eyed them suspiciously, the car clearly stating that they were law enforcement. Scotty glanced at Lilly.

"I got this, if you want."

Lilly shook her head, then hesitated, "I'm okay. Really." She got out of the car, breath rising in an instant plume in front of her. She looked up and down the street.

Scotty headed up the steps, and pushing the door, swore quietly when it gave no sign of opening.

"It's locked," Lilly stated, coming up behind him. He nodded.

"Yeah. What are we gonna do, wait? Come back?"

Before she could answer, they were hailed from a voice behind them.

"We're closed on Wednesdays."

The detectives turned. A young girl stared back, eyes bold with challenge and suspicion. Lilly flipped open her badge.

"Philly PD. You go here?"

The girl, who was around twelve, raised her eyebrows, "Sometimes. What do you want?"

Scotty hid a smile at the blunt question, "We're lookin' for someone. What's your name?"

"What's yours?" the girl replied quickly. Lilly let out a quick chuckle.

"I'm Detective Rush, this is Detective Valens."

The girl studied them carefully for a moment, before sitting back on the steps, her arms folded.

"Kaysha. Kaysha Murphy."

Scotty smiled at her. "Well, nice to meet you, Kaysha. How old are you?"

"Almost thirteen."

Lilly noticed the sketchpad tucked protectively under one arm, "What are you drawing?"

Kaysha's eyes narrowed, "Just stuff. There's a lot of people to draw here."

The detective pulled a picture of Charlotte Jones from her pocket, holding it up so the girl could see.

"You ever draw her?"

Some of the bold bravado left the child's face, and she looked between them uncertainly, then nodded, "That's Katy's mom."

Lilly slid the photo back into her pocket. Scotty sat on the step beside Kaysha.

"Did you know Katy?" he asked. The girl nodded again.

"We were friends."

"What was she like?" Lilly asked. Kaysha shrugged.

"Pretty normal, I guess. She liked singing, and dancing. She'd let me draw her costumes for dances."

Scotty glanced up at his partner, then looked back at the child, "Sounds like she was a good friend. You must know her mom too."

Heat flared in the girl's eyes, "I never believed what they said about her. She wouldn't have hurt Katy. She wasn't mean, just drunk. I know mean, and she wasn't it."

Lilly felt her heart break for this young soul who had seen too much.

"Do you know James Walker?"

Kaysha shook her head in confusion, "Who?"

"Never mind. How about Bobby Dillon?"

Kaysha's face hardened, her eyes turning cold. The change was not lost on either detective, and Lilly cleared her throat.

"Do you know where he is?"

Kaysha shook her head, "Hopefully dead in a ditch."

From down the street, a harsh voice called the girl's name. She stood, closing her sketchbook and tucking it inside her coat.

"I have to go. I hope you find who killed Katy."

Scotty offered her a card, "Thanks. If you need anything, or hear anything we might be interested in, call this number, okay?"

Kaysha grinned. "I get to play spy? Cool!"

The two detectives smiled back, and returned to their car. Lilly waited for her partner to shut his door, then said, "Scotty?"

He looked at her, sending her a quick smile, "Lil?"

"You're a good partner. A good man."

Scotty blinked in surprise, then reached out to touch the back of her hand.

"Thanks, Lil."

The warm spot in her chest returned full strength, and with a shy smile, Lilly settled back into her seat, content to let him take her back to their office.


	4. Chapter 4 - Two Steps Back

The following morning, Lilly had waited with as much patience as possible for their victim's mother to turn up at their office. Miss Jones stepped into the department at around nine exactly, her hair in loose waves.

As Lilly rose to meet her, the other woman smiled tentatively, "Detective Rush."

"Thank you for coming back in," the detective said evenly, gesturing towards the interview room. Miss Jones took a seat while Lilly closed the door.

"I want to help," she replied, "I want to know who killed my daughter."

The blonde sat in the other chair, nodding slowly. "I'm confused as to why Bobby Dillon would give a different name and address to the original detectives."

"I'm not sure what to tell you, detective. I don't know."

Lilly watched the woman carefully, trying to spot any sign of deception. To her frustration, there was nothing, only hurt honesty.

"Tell me about Bobby," she said eventually. Charlotte Jones shrugged, a sad, wistful smile appearing on her face.

"Bobby was good to me. That first meeting, the day after...I'd been at the police station all night. I desperately needed a drink, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Drink was the reason my daughter was dead."

Her eyes fixed on a point on the table.

"Bobby convinced me to keep going to meetings. Said that the police would never believe that I was innocent if I kept drinking. He was...kind. He never asked if I'd done it. Never doubted." She shook her head lightly. "Bobby kept me alive."

Lilly was silent for a moment. "Tell me about the night Katy died."

Miss Jones sighed, a sound so full of sorrow Lilly felt it settle deep inside her.

"I'd had a bad day at work. Needed something to take the edge off. I never meant to drink as much as I did." Tears filled her eyes. "Vodka. A bottle and a half on an empty stomach. I didn't even see Katy that night."

"What time did you get home?" Lilly asked.

"About six, I think. I don't remember exactly."

"What happened next?"

"I passed out on the bed upstairs. I never heard anything. I should have. I remember…waking up. Going downstairs. Katy was just…lying there, at the bottom of the stairs. The baseball bat was there too, and I…picked it up. I didn't realize. There was so much blood," Miss Jones continued in a choked voice.

"That's why your prints were on the murder weapon," Lilly stated. The other woman nodded.

"Katy always wore a gold necklace. My mother's. It wasn't there when she...she wasn't wearing it. I mentioned it in a meeting. Bobby gave it to me a few weeks ago. He said Katy had dropped it, and he found it, but had forgotten about it. It didn't occur to me then that he might be lying."

"What changed? Why bring this up now?"

"Bobby left," the other woman replied, "Without a word. Just after Detective Manich died. Something felt...wrong."

Lilly was about to ask another question, when there was a sharp knock on the glass. Sighing, she stood and said, "Excuse me."

Stillman waited for her in the observation room. "Nicky got something," he said. After a detour to grab an apple, Lilly perched on the edge of her desk.

"You got something?"

Vera nodded, handing her a file. "Bobby Dillon was born James Robert Walker. Adopted, aged four by the Dillon family."

Coming to stand beside her, Scotty handed his partner a fresh cup of coffee. He missed the stutter of her fingers as they glanced over his.

"So the mother was tellin' the truth," he said, "She didn't know James Walker, not exactly."

Lilly hummed doubtfully, "Are we certain we believe her? I mean, drunks will do anything for another drink."

Stillman peered over his glasses. "You think they were in it together?"

She didn't. Not really. Not all mothers were like hers. So she didn't say anything. Instead, she peered over her boss' shoulder.

"Where are Miller and Jeffries?"

Vera waved a hand in the air, "Chasin' a lead. Tryin' to find out where Dillon pulled that address from, the one he stuck on his character testimony."

"When they come back, we need to figure out where Dillon is. If Charlotte Jones is telling the truth, we might be able to place him at the crime scene."

Scotty sunk into his chair, tucking one outstretched ankle over the other. He blew out a long breath.

"Seems to me like Bobby Dillon has a helluva lot of explainin' to do."

* * *

With nothing to do except wait, Lilly was left with no choice but to let Miss Jones leave for a second time. By lunchtime, she felt like she had run head first into a brick wall. The case was going nowhere. By three in the afternoon, a pounding headache pressed at the fringes of her mind, her ears full of white noise and her eyes heavy with the consistent throbbing.

From the desk opposite, concerned dark eyes watched the color leak from her cheeks. Scotty said her name quietly, but got no response. He set down his pen as her fingers drifted to the scar on her shoulder, pressing gently. To soothe or distract, he wasn't sure.

"Lilly," he said again, louder. His partner startled, the sudden movement sending another wave of pain shooting through her. Scotty looked away as she winced, then said, "You take anythin'?"

At her blank look, he reached into his drawer to pull out some painkillers.

"For your head," he clarified. Lilly hesitated, then reached out to take them.

"It's just a headache."

Scotty snorted in disbelief, "That why you're rubbin' your scar?"

He found himself pinned by an icy glare, and with a frustrated shake of his head, grabbed his coffee cup and retreated to the break room. Lilly watched him go, almost following. But she remained seated, turning back to her computer screen.

Letting out a slow breath, she pushed a strand of hair out of her face and forced her aching eyes to focus. _Bobby Dillon, born James Robert Walker. Met Miss Charlotte Jones, January 20th 2003. The day after Katy Jones was murdered. He had Katy's necklace._

Pressing a hand against her forehead, Lilly swallowed the painkillers, washing them down with the remains of her earlier coffee.

"Vera," she said. He looked over. "Are we certain Miss Jones had never met Bobby Dillon before?"

Her colleague shrugged, "You tell me. She seem like she's lyin'?"

Lilly sighed. "No, but what are the chances? For whatever reason, he ends up with Katy's necklace. Maybe he killed her, maybe he did just find it. But Charlotte Jones just happens to end up in his AA group? Come on."

Vera pursed his lips. "When you lay it out like that, does seem pretty thin. Though stranger things have happened."

Unable to shake the ill feeling in her stomach, Lilly watched as he stood to grab another file. Stranger things, she agreed privately. As Jeffries walked back into the department, she felt the iron fist of defeat unclench slightly at his smile.

"Lil, Nicky. Got something you might want to hear. Where's Scotty?"

"Here," he said, one finger loosening the knot of his tie, "What'd you find?"

"The address listed on the original report for James Robert Walker is real. It's a house in Fishtown. Owned by a Jim Walker, died a couple years back."

"Bobby Dillon's biological father," Lilly surmised. Jeffries nodded.

"Looks like. No sign of anyone living there now, or recently."

Scotty ran a tired hand over his face. "So where's he been? Why give the necklace back now?"

"If he had it in the first place," Lilly added, closing her eyes against the lights of the department. The painkillers had done a grand total of nothing against her headache.

"Why are you so convinced she had somethin' to do with it?" Scotty snapped. Her eyes flew open, flashing fiery blue.

"Why are you mad at me?" Lilly threw back. He stopped short at the change in subject.

"Valens, where are my jelly donuts?" Miller demanded, arriving in a flurry of cold air and dropping her coat onto her desk. Scotty tore his eyes away, grateful for the interruption.

"Top shelf o' the second cupboard. Hid 'em."

Vera's response was sharp and to the point. Miller grinned at him, oblivious to whatever it was she had interrupted, and said, "I always knew you were smart, Valens."

"Yeah," he muttered, glancing at Lilly, "Real smart."

* * *

A/N Sorry for the delay - I had a busy summer. Thanks for all the kind words so far.


	5. Chapter 5 - Fool Me Once

A/N: Sorry about the long gaps between updates. I had a baby.

* * *

Scotty had waited for her. He'd tried to be subtle about it, tried to pretend that he was catching up on paperwork, but when he caught himself staring at the same piece of paper for five minutes straight, he'd given up and sat back in his seat. Every now and then, Lilly glanced over at him. He hadn't said anything, only huffing a sigh every now and then to punctuate his frustrated silence.

But, she thought, even if he was mad at her, he had still waited.

While Lilly was determined to make some headway before she left, Scotty had watched her wince every few minutes all afternoon. Now, with her eyes drooping and the light outside failing, he'd decided enough was enough.

Lilly looked up in surprise when her coat was placed on the desk beside her. Her partner held out her scarf.

"Come on," he said quietly, "I'll take you home."

She was about to argue, but one look at his stony face had the words dying on her tongue. Instead, she closed down her computer and stood, letting him drape the scarf around her neck.

"Thanks," she murmured. He said nothing, but when he helped her into her coat, his fingers lingered a moment too long. As the elevator descended and the doors opened, a rush of cold air had both of them thrusting hands into pockets.

"I left my gloves upstairs," Lilly said sheepishly, "Do you..."

"I'll wait," Scotty said, the barest hint of a grin warming his face, watching her retreat back into the elevator. Leaning against the wall, he absorbed himself in the front page of the paper while he waited. He looked up as an older man approached him. Scotty frowned, wondering if he'd met this man before.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Lilly Rush." Scotty straightened, a ripple of apprehension winding its way down his spine.

"Who's askin'?" He couldn't help the edge to his voice. The other man stood a little taller.

"My name is..."

"Paul Cooper."

They both turned to look at her, and Scotty suddenly realized why this stranger was so familiar. Lilly stood motionless, back straight as a board, now-gloved hands at her sides. He almost missed the slight tremor of her arms as she folded them in front of her.

Scotty stepped towards her. "You know him, Lil?"

"Barely," she replied, fixing her blue eyes on a pair so similar to her own, "Isn't that right, _Dad_?"

The barely controlled temper evident in her soft words hit them both like a hammer. Scotty felt his fists curl at his sides. Cooper sucked in a breath.

"Lilly. It's been a long time."

"What do you want?" she said. Cooper nodded.

"To reach out. To say I heard about your mother. I'm sorry. I thought...I don't know. It felt like it was time."

Had Scotty not been standing so close to her, he wouldn't have seen her sway in place, the pain of the last few months still as sharp as it had been.

"Well, you reached out. But I'm fine, so..." Her voice trailed off. For a moment, Lilly almost felt sorry for her father and the disappointment on his face. But then she remembered, and the guilt was gone. She had a lot she wanted to say, but it was all sticking in her throat, held together by the threat of tears and bitter grief.

"You know where to find me," Cooper offered after a moment. When he didn't move straight away, Scotty started forward, startling his partner's estranged father into movement. Cooper smiled sadly and started to walk away.

"Bye, Lilly." She lifted her chin in acknowledgement, arms wrapped tight around her middle. Scotty watched him leave, waiting until his shadow had been swallowed up by the darkness outside. His eyes found Lilly's and whatever indignation had been brewing up dissipated at her tear filled stare.

"Scotty," she whispered. Scotty stepped to her side, his hand firm and reassuring at the small of her back. Her feet wouldn't cooperate. Everything was taken up with trying not to totally lose it. She shook her head lightly, and the pressure on her back increased.

"Come on, Lil. Car's outside."

Lilly managed to get it together enough to follow him outside. _Get it together, Rush. Don't let him see you like this again._ It was a sobering thought and did its job. She shrugged off his hand.

Scotty let her step ahead of him, rapid puffs of air rising up in front of her with each cold breath. As he unlocked the car, Lilly all but threw herself inside. Having walked on enough thin ice over the past few days, Scotty leaned against the driver's door, giving her a few minutes of privacy.

When Scotty finally slid into the vehicle, his partner had dried any tears and made sure her face was carefully blank. She threw him a sideways glance, the concern she found there making a good start at thawing the icy fist in her chest.

"Go ahead and ask," she said quietly. Scotty chuckled, a low and warm sound that slid past her defenses.

"You hungry?" he asked eventually. Lilly sank into the warm leather seat, closing her eyes.

"No."

Scotty merged into the traffic as snow began to fall. "Head still hurt?"

"Everything hurts."

He let her sit quietly as he drove, her head resting against the window. Concentrating on the road and not on how long her eyelashes looked as they lay on her cheek, Scotty drove towards her house. He took the long way round, selfishly.

Parking up, he undid his belt.

"Lil." Getting no response, he tentatively reached out a hand, resting it on her sleeve. "Lilly."

Her eyes shot open, almost navy in the darkness of the car. Scotty quickly sat back. Her cheeks colored.

"We're here," he said lamely. Following her up the path, he scanned the street as she slid the key into the lock. With the door open, Lilly turned to look at him, words hanging on the tip of her tongue.

"Scotty..."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lil. Pick you up."

"Do you want to come in?"

From the surprise on her own face, Scotty highly doubted that was what she had been planning to say. Something dangerous simmered between them. He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his coat.

"Do you _want_ me to come in?"

Lilly hesitated, then stepped aside and beckoned him in with a tilt of her head. As she shut the door and flipped the lock, Scotty slipped off his coat, laying it along the back of her couch.

"Sorry about the state of the place," Lilly said suddenly, with a nervous chuckle, "You know, cats. Work. Make yourself...there's the kitchen. If you want a drink."

Scotty grinned lightly, then loosened his tie, "It's fine, Lil. Go do what you gotta do. I'll wait here." He sunk into her couch, reached for one of the magazines on her coffee table. His mind was spinning and for a while, he lost himself in shoes and bags and the best kind of makeup.

"Anything interesting in there?"

Scotty looked up. Lilly stood next to him in a sweatshirt three sizes too big, thin cotton pajama pants, and fluffy socks that made his eyebrows shoot up.

"What?" Lilly challenged, "It's cold."

He grinned, then remembered why he was there, and his smile faded, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Lilly perched beside him, pulling her knees up to her chest. She was so beautiful, he thought, sat beside him with her hair and her guard down.

"Not sure what to say," she admitted, then thought for a moment. "He tried calling a few times. After Mom. I never called back."

"His loss."

That earned him a smile, but Lilly didn't offer anything else. So he sat for another few minutes, then put the magazine down.

"You gonna be okay?" he asked, standing. His partner stood with him, moving to the door.

"I'll be fine. Headache is better."

Scotty shrugged, "Well that's somethin'."

Lilly took a step closer, eyes traveling over his face. "I wanted to say thank you," she said quietly. He shook his head.

"No need to thank me."

"But there is, Scotty. For today, for yesterday, for..." She trailed off. She was much too close to him. Scotty swallowed hard.

"I gotta go," he said hoarsely. Lilly nodded slowly, but made no move to step aside.

"Okay."

Scotty had no clue what was happening. This wasn't...this was _Lilly_. His partner. His friend. They didn't do...this, whatever this was. He just knew that he could count the freckles on her face and if he stayed for much longer, they would never be able to go back.

So he tore his eyes away, fumbling behind him for the bolt and the door handle. Lilly released a long, shaky breath, and eased back.

"See you in the morning?"

He grabbed the out, nodding quickly, "I'll be here. Get some sleep."

Lilly waited until she heard the car ignition before locking the door. As she returned to her place on the sofa, shakily, and caught Scotty's aftershave lingering in her cushions, she tried to tell herself that the pit in her stomach was absolutely not, in any way, shape or form, disappointment.


	6. Chapter 6 - Federal Investigation

A/N The good news is, guys, I just finished rewriting Chapter 10. I've also realized there should be a profanity warning, so consider yourselves warned.

* * *

Lilly woke up feeling more refreshed than she had in a long time. She'd just finished tying her hair up when Scotty beeped the horn from outside. Closing and locking her front door, she turned just in time to see that odd look pass over his face again, but then he smiled.

"Mornin', Lil."

Already too cold in the fresh January air, Lilly hurriedly climbed into the passenger seat, reaching out to turn up the heat.

"Morning, Scotty."

Pulling away, he spared a quick glance at her feet, "No fluffy socks today?"

A rare grin curved her lips, "Not exactly office wear."

Scotty laughed, "Nope, probably not." Slowing down to avoid running the red, Scotty tapped his fingers on the wheel, "You get much sleep?"

"I did," Lilly replied, turning in her seat to look at him properly, "What about you?"

Oh, Scotty had slept alright. He had fallen into bed and dreamt of running his hands through soft blonde hair and tucking scarves in and counting pale freckles on even paler skin. But he could hardly admit that. So instead, he shrugged.

"Yeah. Like a log."

* * *

Miller stuck a hand in the air, a vague attempt at a wave. "Do you have coffee?"

Scotty smirked, hanging up his coat.

"Coffee in the break room," he pointed out. She scowled at him.

"I need _real_ coffee. From coffee _beans_." She fluttered her eyelashes, and added, "From the coffee shop downstairs. The green one."

"You got legs," Scotty replied. Seeing Miller readying herself for another round and Scotty preparing a scowl in response, Lilly touched her partner lightly on the sleeve.

"It's okay," she told them, "I'll go."

Scotty turned to her, "But you just got here. _We_ just got here."

She shrugged. "I'll be quick."

When Scotty stood staring at the elevator for a good minute and a half after it closed on her, Vera snickered.

"You worried she's gonna get lost, Valens?"

"Jus' lookin' out," Scotty replied evenly. Vera grinned wider.

"Oh, I know. I've seen you _just lookin' out_ for Rush. Some parts of her more than others."

Miller stepped in front of her younger colleague just as he looked like he was about to launch across the desk at her partner. She noted, however, that he made no attempt to deny it.

"Valens," she warned. Angrily shaking off her restraining hand, he stepped away, biting down the words that were sure to land him on paper pushing duty for the rest of the day. Watching him stalk towards the men's room, Miller shook her head, then cuffed Vera around the ear.

"Jesus, Kat!" he exclaimed, "What the hell was that for?"

"For being a big-mouthed asshole," she replied simply. He grimaced.

"Aw, come on. You tellin' me that you haven't noticed?"

"Of course I noticed," Miller shot back, her tone that of a mother speaking to a particularly slow child, "I'm just not dumb enough to poke at it."

Vera thought about it, then nodded. "Point taken."

Miller made a noise that seemed to say she still thought he was an idiot but patted him kindly on the shoulder.

"You're welcome. Your big problem is gonna be if Valens tells Lil what you said. Then you're in for it."

Vera had a good fifteen minutes to mull over the extent to which he was prepared to grovel, before the scent of fresh coffee filled the office.

Taking the cup with a crudely drawn 'M' on the side, Miller groaned appreciatively, took a sip and said, "You are a _lifesaver_ , Lilly Rush."

A blonde eyebrow quirked in amusement, lips curling at the corners.

"And don't you forget it." Lilly passed Vera his drink, then looked around. "Where's Scotty?"

She missed the glance her colleagues gave each other.

"Not sure," Vera said slowly, waiting to see if his head was going to roll. Blue eyes scanned the bullpen, finally spotting a dark head in the break room.

"Don't worry, found him."

Vera blew out a sigh of relief. Taking the last cup from the cup holder, Lilly headed towards her partner. Scotty barely glanced up as she approached, and her steps slowed.

"Got your coffee," Lilly said quietly, extending the cup towards him. He took it.

"Thanks," he replied shortly, then turned away. She blinked. How could she have annoyed him already?

"Is something wrong?"

The muscles in his jaw flexed. "Nothin'."

Lilly paused. Before last night, before she felt something seismic shift between them that had left her hesitant and off-balance, she wouldn't have let the blatant lie slide. But she was hesitant and off-balance, and decided not to call him out on it. Instead, she only said, "Okay."

Lilly made various attempts throughout the day to put a smile back on his face. It felt odd, her trying to be all positive and making bad jokes, and Scotty sitting there with a face like a thundercloud.

"You sure there's nothin' wrong?" she asked quietly.

He barely spared her a glance. "Nothin', Lil. Told you, I'm fine."

A flare of temper had her slamming her mug down and retreating to the balcony for some fresh air.

Later, as they were winding down for the day and while Lilly tried to figure out why Scotty wasn't talking to her, it wasn't Stillman who created the distraction, more the tall, broad-shouldered man who followed him. Miller let out a low whistle under her breath.

"If that's the new face of Philly PD..." Her voice trailed off, and even Lilly had to admit the man was sinfully attractive. The overly-perfect, always-buttoned-up, golden-Adonis type of attractive that she'd moved away from a long time ago.

"Who the hell is that?"

At her partner's angry voice, Lilly startled some and she glanced up, confused as to what had put him in such a bad mood. Seeing the fire in his eyes and to whom it was directed, she turned her head to fix him with a cool stare.

"We don't know. He just got here."

Stillman, headed for his office, said, "Rush, Valens, Miller. In here."

Miller pumped a fist. "I'll do the talking, Rush. If you don't mind."

Lilly smirked slightly, shook her head, "Be my guest. Not my type."

The other woman's eyes narrowed.

"Not your type? You hit your head today?"

Behind them, Scotty rolled his eyes, and shut the door to his boss' office with more force than was probably necessary. Stillman sat, gesturing for the others to do the same. In a move that his mother would have called petty and childish, Scotty remained standing, as close to Lilly's chair as he could.

"Detectives Rush, Valens, Miller, this is Special Agent Ben Fitzgerald. FBI."

Lilly looked at him curiously. "FBI? What's the Bureau want with us?"

Agent Fitzgerald smiled, and over the grinding of her partner's teeth, Lilly was fairly certain she heard Miller sigh.

"You're looking into James Robert Walker, also known as Bobby Dillon."

Miller nodded. "We are."

"Well, so are we. Walker's wanted in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey for multiple counts of robbery, identity theft, and fraud."

Scotty folded his arms, saw Agent Fitzgerald let his eyes linger too long on Lilly's face, and cleared his throat.

"So, what, you're stealin' our case?" Miller asked, not so impressed with Fitzgerald at the idea of losing all their hard work. Besides, she thought privately, it was fun watching Valens work himself up over a perceived infringement on his partner. The idea made her chuckle, earning an odd look from all parties.

"Not stealing," the agent said slowly, "More like we'd like to be kept in the loop. In turn, we'll share everything we know."

Stillman looked at his three detectives, then nodded his head towards the door. "Wait outside."

As soon as the door shut behind her, Miller smirked at Scotty and returned to her desk, waiting for the drama to unfold.

"Did you see that?" he muttered angrily. Lilly counted to five in her head.

"Did I see what, Scotty?" she replied evenly, turning to him.

"You ain't got a problem wit' how he was lookin' at you? Checkin' you out like that?"

"Valens," Lilly protested, exasperated and more than a little confused. The acidic anger bubbled up in his chest. He stepped closer, eyes flashing and words spilling out before he could haul them back.

"He gets to turn up, total stranger, an' run his eyes over you, imagine you in his bed, and you're okay wit' that?"

Blue fire glared back at him.

"Do you want to tell me what the hell your problem is? 'Cause who looks at me, how they look at me, is damn sure none of your business," Lilly shot back. Scotty ran a hand through his hair, taking a calming breath. God, he wanted to grab her, shake her. Kiss her. He wanted to make it his business who looked at her.

Stillman's office door opened, "Rush, show Agent Fitzgerald out."

Scotty muttered a curse under his breath. Filing their tiff into a box to be dealt with later, Lilly nodded at her boss, not missing the question in his eyes. She ignored it. Her cell phone dinged as the elevator doors slid shut. A text message from Miller.

 _$10 says Fitzgerald asks you out before he leaves._

Lilly rolled her eyes, typing out a response.

 _$10 says I turn him down. Not interested?_

Miller's next message had Lilly hiding a smirk. _Eyes too close together. Teeth too white._

Right on cue, Agent Fitzgerald fixed her with a smile that she was certain landed him plenty of attention.

"So, Detective Rush."

"Agent Fitzgerald."

"Dinner tonight?" he said, "Drinks after?"

The way his gaze skimmed over her face, along her neck, and lower, there was no mistaking that drinks weren't the only thing on his mind. Lilly had to applaud the bluntness of the question. The Feds certainly didn't waste time with small talk.

"I'm flattered." And she was. He was a good-looking man, and even the Ice Queen herself couldn't deny the thrill of being _wanted_. But she was barely on solid ground as it was. No room for a roll in the hay, just to shake things up.

His grin lost some of its shine, but perhaps for the first time, reached his eyes.

"That's a no."

She shrugged apologetically, "It's not you. I have...other plans. Tonight."

The elevator doors slid open, and she stepped out with him. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his dress pants.

"Maybe next time," he offered. Lilly doubted it, but nodded anyway.

"It was nice to meet you," she said politely, pressing the elevator button to go back up. Agent Fitzgerald waved, gave himself a little shake, and went on his way. Lilly allowed herself a laugh. She doubted a man like Ben Fitzgerald would be down and out for long. Even if his eyes were too close together.

Lilly checked her watch. _Great_ , she thought, _only another hour to go._

Miller was on her the minute she got back up to Homicide.

"So?" she prompted. Lilly shrugged.

"You owe me ten bucks."

Miller's eyes widened. "He really asked you out? He spoke to you for five minutes!"

"And you'd seen him for five seconds before you decided he was your type, and _another_ five before you decided he wasn't," Lilly replied with a laugh, "But I said no, so it doesn't matter."

Scotty brushed past her to sit at his desk.

"Took your time. We got work to do," he snapped. Even Miller winced at the mutinous look that crossed Lilly's face.

"For the third time, what the hell is your problem?"

Scotty glared back, "Nothin'."

"In here, now," she demanded, her tone of her voice brooking no argument. Her stiff frame waited for him to set down his pen and stand, then all but marched into the break room and closed the door. Crossing to the other side of the room, Lilly fixed him with a laser-beam stare, one that had Scotty shifting uncomfortably.

"What?" he muttered when she said nothing. Her shoulders hunched slightly, a barely noticeable move, as if steeling herself against his temper.

"What's going on, Scotty?" she said eventually. He looked at her blankly, and she pressed on, "Everything was fine, until it wasn't."

Lilly folded her arms, tilting her head to one side in curiosity.

"I bought you coffee and I felt like I'd done something wrong. You barely spoke to Kat or Vera all day. Firing some pretty dirty looks across the office, too. You haven't said anything all afternoon. Then you were mad at Agent Fitzgerald. You were mad at _me_."

When she laid it all out in that calm, even tone, Scotty could admit that he'd been an asshole. He'd been an asshole...to _Lilly_. With a groan, Scotty dropped his head, falling on to the break room sofa.

"Shit, Lil," he moaned. Watching in concern, Lilly hesitated, then took a seat beside him.

"Please, Scotty," she urged softly, "What's wrong?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I don't even know. It's just..." His voice trailed off. "I'm sorry. It's not you. I don't..." Scotty stopped again. He took a deep breath and continued. "Since you came back, I don't know. Seems like you been lettin' people take advantage more."

"You think I let people take advantage? Of me?" Whatever she'd been expecting, that was way down on her list.

Scotty shrugged. "Kat and the coffee. Fitzgerald." _Me_ , he added silently, the memory of dreamt skin, smooth and pale, of curves that gave under his touch, bringing spots of color to his cheeks.

"People don't take advantage of me," Lilly said, a hint of indignation creeping into her tone, "Scotty, I was _never_ going to say yes to Fitzgerald. I knew exactly what he wanted, and I wasn't interested. As for Miller...well, you've all been looking after me since I came back. Figured goin' to get coffee was the least I could do to repay that."

Scotty nodded slowly, absorbing her words in silence. After a moment, he glanced at her, then said quietly, "You said no to the Fed?"

Lilly sighed. "I said no."

"Why?"

"Because I had other plans."

They both felt another tense silence stretch between them. Lilly hated it. She hated that they were both on this precipice that had them struggling for footholds and solid ground.

Suddenly bold, Lilly faced him fully, blue eyes meeting dark brown, and continued, "It's Friday. You were going to offer to drive me home so that I could avoid the subway. I was going to ask if you wanted to get dinner."

His breath caught, heat flaring in the eyes that were now locked on hers. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

He hesitated, then reached out to touch her gently on the back of the hand. Lilly stared at it, until Scotty withdrew his fingers. Whatever had almost happened last night at her front door now stood between them, loud and unyielding and screaming to be acknowledged.

"Is that still an option?" he asked uncertainly.

Something warm flashed in his partner's eyes.

"Depends," she said slowly, "Can I wear my fluffy socks?"

It startled a laugh out of him.

"Sure, Lil," he replied with a growing smile, "If you want to."


	7. Chapter 7 - Sway

This time, when he'd parked outside her house, Lilly didn't even bother asking if he wanted to come in. He followed her up the path, waiting as she unlocked the door.

"Sorry about the..." Her voice trailed off as he grinned. Smiling slightly, she closed the door and shrugged off her coat. "Beer?"

"Sure."

Placing his coat and jacket over the back of the sofa, he followed her into the small kitchen. He eyed one of her wooden stools, then pulled it out and sat. Grabbing two bottles from the fridge, Lilly popped the lids of both and passed him one. While she took a sip, Scotty just stared at the moisture gathered around the rim.

"I'm sorry," he said suddenly, "For today." His partner set her bottle down, watching him closely. His face was tired, she thought, older somehow.

"Do you really think I let people take advantage of me?" she asked after a moment. Scotty took a swig of beer, shrugging.

"'Let' is probably a little strong." The hard stare she fixed him with said that his answer was not nearly enough, so he sighed. "Since you were shot...I don't know. Everythin' seems different. _You_ seem different."

It was as honest as he was prepared to be, since he was sat with his partner, at her kitchen counter, drinking beer. This was one of those moments Scotty knew he'd treasure, and if keeping his mouth shut let the moment live on, then that's what he'd do.

"Not so different," Lilly replied softly, dropping her eyes to the countertop, tracing a line down the stem of her bottle. Scotty fell silent, then dipped his head lower and lower, until her startled gaze flicked back to his.

"Buy you that dinner now?"

Lilly smiled at him, and somewhere in his chest, his heart kicked uncomfortably.

"Sure. Let me get changed."

As she headed upstairs, Scotty took his beer to the couch. He'd barely sat down when a pressure on his leg caught his attention. A single eye fixed him with a hard look, fur tickling the back of his hand.

"Uh, hi," he said slowly. The cat blinked slowly, then hopped into his lap. Razor sharp claws flexed against the muscle of his thigh, and he flinched. "Lilly!"

His partner appeared on the staircase. At the look of discomfort and helplessness on his face, Lilly tried not to laugh.

"That's Olivia. She won't bite."

"It ain't her teeth I'm worried about," Scotty replied acidly, sucking in a sharp breath as the cat's claws moved higher up his thigh. Her losing battle with laughter echoed down to him and had he not feared for his vitality, Scotty would have grinned. He gingerly readjusted his position. Olivia flexed her paw, and he stilled, resting the tips of his fingers on her head. As he rubbed gently, the ginger tabby let out a sigh of contentment, relaxing her long body across his lap.

"She likes you," his partner said from behind him. Scotty turned his head. Whatever words he was about to shoot back died on his lips. It wasn't often he got to see his partner in jeans and a thin black sweater, but _damn_ if her outfit hadn't shaken him to his core. He didn't miss the irony of his eyes wandering down long legs, when that was what he'd been pissed at Agent Fitzgerald for. But that was different, he reasoned. At least he _knew_ Lil.

"You ready?" he choked out. Lilly arched a slim eyebrow.

"Almost. Came to see if my cat was still terrorizing you."

Scotty forced himself to relax. It was just Lilly. It was his partner. "Nah. She's fine."

"Luckily for you, you won't have to sit like that for hours. They need feeding, and this one does like her food," Lilly said, scooping Olivia off his lap in one fluid movement that had her fingers brushing over his leg. Thankfully, Scotty was too preoccupied with the sore spots on his thigh to notice the color that had appeared high in her cheeks.

"Me too," he replied, standing. He grinned at her responding eye roll. Lilly felt a wave of uncertainty settle in her stomach. What were they doing? This was another thing they just didn't do. They didn't spend this much time together. They definitely didn't touch each other, even by accident. She was _very_ careful not to touch him, particularly since he'd held her in his arms and cried into her hair and called out desperately for help.

"You okay, Lil?" He'd watched what little color she had drain away, and took a step towards her in concern. She blinked, then offered a shaky smile and a quick nod.

"Two minutes," she promised, setting the cat down in the kitchen. Filling their bowls with dry food, she watched Olivia eat for a minute, then dashed back upstairs for shoes and a coat.

* * *

She didn't wear her fluffy socks, and laughed when he told her he was a little disappointed.

"Not sure they would have worked with these jeans," she replied. Scotty grinned, wondering if she knew that in those jeans, nobody would be looking at her feet. He thought about telling her. Instead, he nodded his head down the street.

"I know a place. We can walk it."

Another half inch of fresh snow had fallen while they'd been inside. Lilly savored the way it gave under her feet, the cushioned crunch of her shoes as they walked. The sky lingered somewhere between orange and purple, a promise of more snow she was sure would fall before the morning. The muffled quiet, which should have been unnerving, filled the night with peace, everything still but for their cautious footsteps along the sidewalk.

"Everything's so still," she said.

"Creepy," Scotty added with a shrug of his shoulders.

She laughed. "I like it. Makes a change."

The stillness was left behind them as they approached the small diner. The bell above the door tinkled cheerfully as Scotty held it open, waiting as Lilly stamped the snow from her shoes. It wasn't busy, only a few weary eyes lifting to look at the newcomers as they headed for a booth.

"How'd you find this place?" Lilly asked, looking at the old photographs on the wall. Scotty pulled off his gloves.

"Just did. You never been here?"

She shook her head as a waitress stopped beside them. "Welcome to Frank's. What can I get you to drink?"

"Two beers," Scotty said, then added, "And waters. What's good on the menu?"

"The cheesesteak is always a hit. We do a loaded dog too." He peered at her name badge.

"Thanks, Sarah."

Scotty flashed a grin that had poor Sarah stammering something about being right back with their drinks, and Lilly smirked.

"You always get what you want with that smile?" she asked. His eyes darkened as they met hers and the grin dimmed.

"Not always."

Lilly was saved from having to think on the look in his eyes by Sarah's return. She set the beer bottles down, then the water, and pulled out a small notepad.

"What else can I get you?"

Lilly had yet to even open her menu, and did so hastily while Scotty pretended to think. She didn't know why he bothered. Whenever they ate out together, or with the team, he always got the same cheesesteak and fries. Sure enough, by the time she'd made it to the entrees, he'd already ordered.

"Make that two," she said after a moment. Sarah nodded, then disappeared, but not before setting down some napkins and leaning _far_ too low over the table. Lilly's eyebrow twitched. Scotty simply shrugged, a warm smile curving his lips as he reached for one of the bottles.

"It's not my fault," he said when the waitress had left.

"I didn't say anything," his partner replied mildly.

It was surprisingly easy, Lilly realized, to pretend this was a normal dinner between colleagues. They fell into easy conversation, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. It was easy. But she ignored the heat prickling along her skin when his eyes met hers. She would pay no attention to the way her throat burned when Sarah, lingering too long beside her partner when she delivered their food, batted her eyelashes and pursed her lips. She could easily overlook how his legs kept brushing against hers underneath the table, how her arm pressed against his when she reached for the condiments.

Scotty peered at her plate, "Are you gonna finish your fries?"

"Looks like you're doin' it for me," Lilly said, and the syrupy sweetness didn't completely mask the edge to her tone. Her partner had the good grace to grin apologetically, and with a slight roll of her eyes, Lilly gave up and pushed her plate towards him.

"Thanks, Lil."

While they'd been eating, the diner had emptied out some. From hidden speakers, music pumped out, just loud enough to have Lilly's foot tapping. It was something old, something jazzy. Scotty watched her carefully, a spark of an idea making him suddenly lightheaded. Before he could convince himself it was pure stupidity, Scotty let the words fall out.

"Do you wanna dance?"

Her eyes flew back to his, widening. "What?"

Taking a deep breath, he stood, wiping his hands on his pants before extending one towards her, "Come on. Let's dance."

Lilly couldn't quite pick up her jaw from where it had fallen in surprise.

"Dance? Here? With you?"

Scotty chuckled, her incredulity making him brave. "Sure. Why not?"

"Because people eat here! They don't _dance_ here."

"Then we'll be the first," he replied. When she still made no move, he waved the outstretched hand, "Come on, Lil. Can't leave me hangin'. Especially not when I'm sure Sarah's..."

It had been a low move, but one he had been certain would have the desired effect. He hadn't missed the clenching of his partner's fist when the waitress kept stopping by their booth. Lilly's eyes narrowed, and she slapped her hand into his. She slid gracefully out of the table.

"One dance," she said firmly. Scotty's grin widened.

"Sure, Lil. Just one."

The two beers she'd had tonight must have killed off a couple thousand brain cells, Lilly realized. There was no way she could be in her right mind. This was another thing that they just didn't do. They didn't even dance together in Nashville, and in Nashville everybody was dancing.

And yet here they were, between the booths and the countertop of a small Philly diner, about to dance. Lilly blew out a shaky breath, stepping closer. Scotty felt his smile fade. She wasn't meant to look so terrified. Holding one of her hands in his, he took the other and placed it at the small of her back. She blinked in alarm, and Scotty was tempted just to laugh it off and pretend it had never happened. But whatever courage had made him ask her to dance hadn't deserted him just yet, so he kept his hand where it was. A slim hand came to rest on his shoulder, the tips of her fingers laying just where his collar met his neck.

Lilly felt the heat of his palm through her sweater. She forced herself to relax, thankful for the inches of space between them. She could do this. One song. One dance.

"This is nice," she managed after a minute of letting him sway her side to side. It was such a pathetic attempt at a reassurance that Scotty had to chuckle. The hand at the small of her back tightened, and the inches Lilly had been using as a shield disappeared as he pulled her closer. She fixed her eyes somewhere just below his chin. When her chest pressed against his, and tension shot through her again, Scotty let out a sigh, squeezing her hand.

"It's jus' dancin', Lil," he said in a low voice. A shiver ran through the slim body in his arms.

"Just dancing," she whispered in agreement. But it wasn't. They both knew it. Scotty watched as her eyes flicked up to his mouth, then away. How easy it would be, to drop his head and take her lips, to cup her face in his hands and...

"Here's your check," came a rude voice from behind. As she hastily put a foot of space between them, Lilly felt a surge of gratitude for Sarah, despite the glare she received in return. Scotty nodded, glancing towards his partner before reaching for his wallet.

"Thanks."

Sarah muttered something then was gone as suddenly as she'd appeared. Lilly reached for her coat, certain that her cheeks were bright red. Scotty threw a note onto the table. The silence between them was uncomfortable, the last strains of the song they had danced to a teasing promise of what could have been.

He was silent as they both collected up their things. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had made an awful mistake in asking her to dance. The only question now was how much shit was he going to get for it. When Lilly had her coat on, he moved towards the door, the cold of the outside hitting him like a punch to the gut.

She followed behind him, quietly observing the hunch to his shoulders. The snow was falling pretty heavily, and for a quick minute, Lilly thought about flagging down a cab to take them the few blocks to her house. But that would have meant rushing off, and as uncomfortable as she was, Scotty deserved more from her than a hasty retreat.

As she fell into step beside him, treading carefully, she glanced up at his face. He was lost in thought, the hands that had just recently been so warm against her skin once again shoved deep into his pockets. As her house came into view, silent in the cold night air, Lilly bumped her elbow against his, smiling slightly when he looked at her in surprise.

"Thank you," she said, "For tonight."

Scotty shrugged. "Was jus' dinner, Lil."

"No, it wasn't."

He stopped, and turned to her. It was the first time she had acknowledged, at least out loud, that something had changed between them, and he had absolutely no idea what it meant.

"What you said earlier," Lilly continued, "About everything being different."

Scotty nodded, swallowing hard at the way her eyes suddenly seemed so much brighter than before. _Damn_ , he thought, _this ain't gonna end well for me._

"Different isn't always bad, Scotty," she finished, "Sometimes different can be..."

"Different?" he suggested with a grin. She laughed quietly, heading up her front steps, keys in hand. The smile she sent him over her shoulder stole his breath, and Scotty dug his feet into the snow to prevent them from carrying him towards her.

"I had fun tonight, Scotty. Have a good weekend."

He gave her a slight wave. "You too, Lil."

Waiting until the door had closed behind her, and he had heard the latch being thrown across from inside, Scotty headed for his car. He found himself agreeing with her.

Different wasn't always bad.


	8. Chapter 8 - Partners, Right?

A/N: Sorry for the long breaks between updates. Thanks for all of the reviews and your continued support - I appreciate it.

* * *

Miller couldn't quite put her finger on what had changed over the weekend, but she was certain it was _something_. Last she'd seen, Rush was dragging her partner into the break room to tear him a new one. Presumably, Miller added to herself. With those two it was always hard to tell. Rush could equally have been dragging Valens into the break room to lay one on him, tongues and all.

Kat allowed herself a quick chuckle, earning a strange look from her blonde colleague.

"What are you laughing at?" Lilly asked curiously. Miller shook her head, curls flying.

"You don't want to know," she replied. Lilly studied her for a moment, then turned away with a smirk.

"Pretty good mood for Monday morning. Good weekend?"

"Yeah, it was nice. V and I went to the ballet."

"Swan Lake, right? I've heard good things. Saw it as a kid, too."

"Secret ballet fan, Rush?" Miller said with a grin.

Lilly's lips curved, "Enjoy it more than musicals. No singing."

Kat laughed, tempted to burst into song just to see what would happen. Lilly would probably roll her eyes and walk away, embarrassed, but as long as there were no dance moves, it might be okay.

Miller felt the smile drop as she really took a moment to look at her friend. Some of the gaunt angles had smoothed out, some of the color returning to a naturally pale face. Feeling Kat's eyes on her, Lilly looked up.

"What?" she asked self-consciously. Miller shook her head.

"You look good, Lil. Rested."

Lilly's cheeks turned pink, but she smiled, "I _feel_ rested."

Not one to miss an opportunity, Kat scooted her chair around the edge of her desk to come closer.

"There anybody in particular to thank for that? Agent Fitzgerald, maybe?" She laughed as Lilly shot her a narrowed look, missing its usual heat, and pressed on teasingly, "Maybe somebody a little closer to home..."

"Morning, Valens," Lilly interrupted loudly. Kat laughed harder, rolling her chair away. Scotty stared at her in confusion.

"Is she okay?" he asked his partner.

"She's fine. She had a good weekend."

That did nothing to clear his confusion, so Scotty just nodded slowly and sat down.

"We got anythin' new?"

Replacing the last traces of laughter with a more serious face, Miller shook her head.

"Nope. Nothing. The files the Feds sent over confirm what we already know. James Robert Walker, also known as Bobby Dillon, is a verified scumbag. Targets members of the various groups he's set up, robs their houses when he knows they're at a meeting. Bereavement groups, NarcAnon, AA. Steals petty cash, jewelry, and enough paperwork to set up credit cards in their names."

"Stand up guy," Scotty said bitterly.

"Long way from robbery and identity theft to murder," Lilly pointed out. Seeing Scotty's look, she added quickly, "Just an observation."

Stillman, stopping beside Miller, dropped a file onto her desk.

"Found this buried in the pile from the Feds. Turns out Bobby Dillon owns a small storage unit. Safeguard Self Storage, up in Morgantown. Probably nothing, but Miller, I want you and Nick to go check it out."

Scotty frowned. "Boss, we can go. Ain't a problem."

Stillman's lips quirked, "Appreciate that, Scotty. But there's a chance Agent Fitzgerald will be there, shared investigation and all. Didn't seem like you and he hit it off."

The wry tone to his lieutenant's voice had color rising in Scotty's cheeks, but he nodded anyway. Miller huffed, "Great. Three hours in the car with Vera whining 'bout the Eagles. Anybody got an Ambien?"

Lilly shrugged, smiling slightly, "You can always distract him with the soundtrack to _Grease_."

Narrowing her eyes in her friend's direction, Miller grimaced.

"Well, thanks, Rush. So helpful. You better watch out. I'll get the Best of Broadway disc stuck in your car radio, then we'll see how much you _really_ hate musicals."

* * *

As Stillman had predicted, Vera and Miller returned that afternoon with nothing useful from the storage unit. Empty. A wasted trip. Scotty, eyes sore from reading and re-reading files all day, had felt himself sink into a mood, lightened only by the fact that every so often, Lilly's foot would accidentally nudge into his beneath the desk.

She'd glance up, pink spots rising in her cheeks, apologize softly, and scoot her chair a little further back.

He'd just made a fresh cup of coffee when his cell phone rang. Not recognizing the number, he thought about letting it go to voicemail, but since he had nothing better to do right now and was annoyed that their investigation had stumbled to a halt, Scotty felt that going two rounds with a telemarketer might relieve some of his frustration.

"Yeah," he answered shortly.

"Detective Valens?"

The voice on the phone had him bolting upright in his chair, banging the desk with his knee and causing his partner to jump in alarm. He waved off whatever she had been about to say, pointing at the phone.

"Kaysha?"

Lilly's face paled, and she edged her chair closer to listen. The girl, out of breath, could barely be heard over the sounds of the traffic in the background.

"I need to tell you something," she said. They stood, sliding guns into holsters and clipping badges onto belts.

"Where are you?" Scotty demanded, already moving towards the elevator.

"Outside your precinct. Is Detective Rush with you?"

"She's here. We're coming down."

As the line disconnected, he slid his cell back into his pocket. Ahead of him, Lilly had already called the elevator, and while it couldn't have been more than half a minute, it seemed to take forever for it to arrive.

"Didn't think we'd hear from her," Lilly said quietly.

"Me neither. Can't be anythin' good, though."

By the time they made it down to the lobby, Kaysha had come inside. Snow dusted her dark hair and the coat she wore, which was at least two sizes too big. She looked up as they approached, and Lilly felt a cold fist close around her heart. The girl's eye was swollen, black and bruised. A half-healed cut edged along her temple, cleaned but not dressed.

"Who did that?"

Kaysha stuck her chin out in defiance.

"Nobody. That's not why I'm here."

Carefully, Lilly took the girl's chin in her hand, turning Kaysha's face to get a better look.

"We can help."

Kaysha stepped back, and Lilly's hand dropped limply back to her side.

"You can help Katy's mom. Bobby's back. Saw him sneaking around her house night before last."

Taking out the small notepad he always kept in his jacket pocket, Scotty wrote it down.

"What kinda time?" he asked. Kaysha shrugged.

"Not sure. Maybe eleven?"

He looked up from the pad. "Their house is a good three blocks from the community center. You live right across from it. Pretty late to be walking the streets."

The chin lifted again, stubborn and proud.

"I can take care of myself."

Lilly sighed. "Your mom hit you, didn't she? That's how you got the black eye, why you were out of the house."

Kaysha said nothing, confirmation enough that Lilly was right. Scotty cleared his throat.

"Did Dillon see you?"

"No. I saw him, watched for a minute, then went home." The girl glanced at Lilly. "She was passed out when I got there."

"Okay." Scotty put the notepad away. "You gotta promise me that you're not gonna do anythin' stupid. You see Dillon again, you walk away and let us know, alright?"

"Alright. Are you going to get him this time?"

"That's the plan," Lilly said quietly. The girl nodded, then glanced outside. Scotty reached into his pocket.

"Bus or cab?" he asked, opening his wallet. Kaysha smiled slightly.

"Bus," she replied, taking the offered note.

"If you need anything..." Lilly said suddenly, but then her voice trailed off. "We can give you a ride."

"The bus is fine. I like the lights in the snow."

"Okay, but..."

"Lil," Scotty interrupted softly. She fell silent, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

"You call us," she said finally, "Anytime."

Kaysha grinned, and it was more than Lilly could bear so she headed for the elevator. Scotty watched her wait in front of the steel doors, fingers lingering over the button.

"You should tell her," the girl said, a laugh in her voice. He blinked and turned back to her.

"What?" Her grin widened, and he pushed her lightly on the shoulder, "Shut up. Go home."

Kaysha laughed, as carefree as he had ever seen her. "Bye, Detective."

Scotty watched her go. Shaking his head, he moved to join his partner at the open elevator, but couldn't help thinking that Kaysha may have been right.

As soon as they got back upstairs, Lilly was at her desk searching for a number. She picked up her phone, but Scotty's hand covered hers and pushed the receiver back down.

"Jus' wait a minute," he said softly. Heat flared in her eyes and Scotty withdrew his hand.

"You saw what that woman did to her daughter. As if the emotional abuse wasn't enough."

"I know that," he replied, "An' I'm not sayin' you shouldn't put a call in to Child Services. But take a minute to breathe, Lil. Think about what evidence you have. Kaysha didn't confirm how she got hurt."

"She didn't need to," Lilly shot back.

"You an' I know that. Child Services might see it differently. So take a minute to think about what you wanna say. Call 'em tomorrow."

She bit her lip, hating that he was probably right. Fingertips danced lightly, reassuringly, over her shoulder.

"You can't fix everythin' in one day, Lil."

His voice was warm and rough in her ear, and suddenly Lilly was standing in front of him in her living room, that night when something large and terrifying danced between them.

She stood up suddenly, brushing past him.

"I'm going to get some air."

* * *

Scotty had given her fifteen minutes of solitude. In the half-light of dusk, her hair glowed, the wind gently whipping white blond strands around her face. _Damn_ , he thought, struck by the way the lights from inside cast the outline of her body. _Damn_.

"I was just coming in," Lilly said quietly, glancing back at him.

"It's nice out here."

Lilly rolled her neck, wincing at the tension in her shoulders. Scotty set his coffee down.

"Stiff neck?"

"Yeah. Sometimes everything just...aches."

He stepped closer, the cold breeze whipping lightly at his tie. "Turn around."

She did so slowly, and his hands coming to rest on her shoulders. His palms were warm through the thin material of her shirt.

"Scotty..."

The first pressure of his hands against her tense muscles had Lilly barely managing to stifle a sigh of pleasure. She obviously hadn't stifled it enough, because Scotty chuckled, a hot puff of air against the back of her neck.

"You know, they do massages at that place down the street from you," he offered. Lilly, too distracted by the stress leaking away, hummed some kind of response, closing her eyes.

A low burn of desire settled deep in the pit of her stomach, the sudden need for his hands to be touching her in other places catching her off-guard. His body was warm against her back, the pressure of his thumbs in the knots of her shoulders a welcome relief.

Lilly could feel herself relaxing, and was overwhelmingly grateful. Feeling that his work was done, Scotty's hands ceased their motion, lingering on her shoulders.

"Better?" he asked, and she didn't miss that there was a tone to his voice that she hadn't heard before. She turned, smiling slightly, missing the warmth of his hands as the winter chill started to seep into her bones.

"Much."

He moved to stand beside her, his back against the railing.

"Thanks," Lilly said quietly, "You're...thank you."

"Partners, right?" Scotty replied with a grin, nudging her with his elbow. Her smile widened.

"Don't think I could even reach to return the favor."

"Nah, don't worry, Lil. You owe me a massage, and I'ma keep it until I get a little..."

"Tense?" she interrupted, her cheeks turning pink. Scotty laughed.

"Sure, Lil. Let's go with that."


	9. Chapter 9 - Drift

Whatever Scotty had done to her carried into the next morning, her body feeling more relaxed than it had in a long time. Lilly was almost relieved that Miller had a day off, because she wasn't sure she could hold up under Kat's good natured interrogation.

Feeling particularly generous, she made sure to stop for fresh donuts. Armed with a warm dozen, Lilly stepped out of the elevator into the bullpen with an uncharacteristic spring in her step. Lieutenant Stillman was already in his office, and smelling what she carried, came out to greet her.

"Morning, Rush," her boss said. She offered a quick smile.

"Morning, boss."

He eyed the box at the end of her desk with undisguised interest.

"You didn't lick them all, did you?"

Lilly shrugged. "Even if I had, wouldn't stop anybody."

He chuckled. "That is true. May I?" At her nod, he helped himself. "Scotty mentioned that Bobby Dillon was seen at the Jones house?"

"That's right," Lilly said, "Witness saw him looking around."

"When he gets here, I want you and Valens to talk to the mother. See if he's made contact, if she's remembered anything that could be useful."

Lilly gave a quick nod. "No problem, boss."

Taking another bite of his donut, Stillman studied her for a moment.

"You know," he said eventually, "We're glad to have you back, Lil. Wasn't the same while you were...off."

Blushing, she smiled. "It's good to be back, boss."

 _It's_ really _good to be back._

* * *

Scotty was struggling to keep his eyes on the road. He couldn't stop hearing that sound she made, the one when he pressed his thumbs into her tense muscles, that one that she probably also made when...

"Everything okay?"

Her voice caught him by surprise. He blinked, then nodded.

"Yeah, why?"

She pointed to his hands. "Gripping that wheel pretty tight there, Valens."

"Just thinkin'."

Lilly nodded, adjusting in her seat to turn towards him. When he offered nothing else, she continued. "I called my friend Lindsey at Child Services. She checked. Kaysha and her mother are already on their radar. Lindsey said she'd follow up with the case worker, make it a priority."

"Shouldn't it already be a priority?" he replied, temper flaring in his voice. Lilly hummed low in her throat, knowing that he already knew that she agreed.

"Sure you don't want to tell me what's up?" she said.

Oh, he was pretty sure that telling her straight up that he'd spent a good part of the night picturing her naked would be a mistake. He mustered up a reassuring smile.

"I'm okay, Lil. Didn't sleep well."

It was close enough to the truth, he reasoned. Apparently satisfied, Lilly let it go.

"Do you think he'll come back?"

Scotty turned onto Charlotte Jones' street. "Dillon? I don't know. Can't figure out what he wanted here anyway. Damn, no parking."

"Go a couple blocks down," Lilly said absently. Sure enough, a space appeared five minutes from their destination, and Scotty jumped on it. They walked the few blocks in companionable silence, snow crunching underfoot and their breath rising in hot plumes.

The front yard was small, but tidy and well-kept and for a moment, Lilly swore she saw Katy's small figure dancing in the grass. Then she blinked, and the image was gone.

Scotty headed for the front door, ringing the bell. Lilly, on the inside, gave herself a shake, taking a deep breath. Charlotte Jones opened the door, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Detectives," she said, "Did something happen, with the case?"

Scotty smiled apologetically, "No, ma'am. We're still investigatin'. But we wanted to talk to you about somethin', if you don't mind."

She stepped aside. "Of course. Please, come in."

Lilly was glad Scotty had taken the lead. She wanted to see what it was like, this home that was already so unlike her own. Her eyes went to the bottom of the stairs, crime scene photos and police reports creating a picture she could have lived without. Blinking the image away, Lilly turned to the photos on the wall.

Her mother had never put pictures on the wall.

"Lil."

Scotty's voice beside her made her jump, and Lilly turned guiltily. He watched her carefully.

"You good?"

She nodded quickly, relieved when he didn't push it. They followed Miss Jones into the living room, sitting on the sofa opposite her. The mother of their victim clasped her hands anxiously in her lap.

"So, what can I help you with?"

"Miss Jones..." Scotty started when Lilly said nothing.

"Charlotte, please."

"Charlotte," he agreed with a smile, and his partner almost rolled her eyes, "Have you noticed anything strange, or outta the ordinary, the past couple days?"

Charlotte looked from him to Lilly. As their eyes met, the detective felt a wave of dislike wash through her, fierce yet completely irrational and part of Lilly hated herself for it.

"No, nothing," the other woman said slowly, "Why? What's going on?"

Scotty hesitated. "Bobby Dillon was seen outside your home a few days ago. We have a witness who places him in your yard, looking around. Did you know about that?"

Her face paled. "What? He was here? What was he doing?"

"We're not sure, ma'am," Scotty soothed, "But we'll figure it out. Were you home on Saturday night?"

"Yes."

"Were you alone?"

At the pink tinge that appeared on Charlotte Jones' cheeks, both detectives knew the answer. Scotty cleared his throat, then stood.

"I'm gonna call Boss, get a patrol unit to sit outside 'til we catch this guy," he said, and Lilly nodded. It wasn't subtle, but they both knew that Lilly stood a better chance of getting somewhere. The door shut behind him with a quiet click.

"So, Saturday night," Lilly continued. Charlotte nodded.

"I have a...friend. He was here on Saturday. And Sunday."

The detective made a quick note on her pad. "Does your friend have a name?"

"Steve. Steve Wright. But, detective..." Her voice trailed off, and Lilly waited with as much patience as she could. After a moment, the other woman sighed heavily. "Steve and I, it's...it's new. He's a good man, and...it's just new."

That Lilly understood.

"We'll do our best to keep him out of it. We just need to know if he heard or saw anything when he was here."

"Thank you."

"The unit will be stationed outside until Dillon is caught. If there's anything out of the ordinary, you should call."

Lilly stood, moving towards the door. The house was suddenly close around her, the illusionary tang of blood and bleach and vodka making her head spin. She needed to get out, before she ruined their case by saying something she shouldn't.

Her hand reached for the latch.

"I'm sorry about your mother," Miss Jones said suddenly. Lilly stopped short, the pain still a little too fresh. "I'm not stupid, detective. I see the way you look at me. The undisguised blend of resentment and sympathy."

Lilly turned to look at her. She suddenly felt ashamed, guilty for having formed immediate judgements based on pure emotion.

"I'm sorry," she said, glad Scotty wasn't there to hear the crack in her voice, "I was...you've turned your life around. My mom...she never did that."

"Then it was her loss."

Lilly wasn't sure what to say to that, so she just nodded and said her goodbyes. Scotty was leaning against a street light, cell phone still up at his ear. Seeing her, his eyes warmed.

"Okay, boss. We'll go talk to the boyfriend, see if we get anythin'."

She stood beside him, closing her eyes and breathing in the cold, cleansing air. She heard the snap of his cell phone, and smiled slightly.

"Boss okay?"

She was certain Scotty's voice was closer to her than it should have been, and barely managed to jump at his reply.

"Yeah. Are you?"

Lilly opened her eyes. Because any answer she would have given him would have led them to a conversation she wasn't ready to have, she nodded.

"We should get going. I have an address for the lover."

"Lover, huh?" Scotty chuckled, "That better or worse than boyfriend?"

With a secretive smile, Lilly started down the sidewalk towards the car. He groaned, eyes fixed on her retreating figure. _She ain't got no idea what that smile does._

Scotty wanted to shake her, kiss her, do _something_. Then he had an idea.

The heat of his eyes following her path was doing a great job of keeping Lilly warm as she headed back to the car. He needed to stop looking at her with those eyes. He needed to realize that she was a mess, and he should stay far away from her because he was _good_. Last night was a mistake, she reasoned. She should never have let him put his hands on her like...that. Lilly sighed.

Feeling something cold and wet collide with the back of her head, Lilly stopped short. At his barely concealed snigger, she turned, suspicions confirmed as she saw her partner dust snow from his gloves.

"A snowball? Really?" she said acidly. Scotty grinned, folding his arms and sticking out his chin.

"Thought you liked the snow?"

Her eyes narrowed. She bent to grab a handful of snow. It was such a childish response, Lilly knew, but she was already making it into a ball. She threw it back, missing by a clear mile.

"Not when it's sliding down my neck," she replied. Scotty laughed, another snowball already in his hand.

"Come on, Lil. Live a little," he shot back, feeling smug satisfaction as his snowball hit her thigh. Lilly made a sound full of indignant frustration.

"We have work to do, Valens."

When he said nothing and just stood there, grinning, Lilly landed a lump of snow on his chest. The cold seeped through his shirt.

"Not bad, Rush," he said, stepping aside to avoid another snowball, "Good thing you shoot better than you throw, though."

"Good thing you snowball better than you dance," she shot back, scooping up a bigger handful of snow. When she looked up, Scotty was running up the bank, darting behind a tree.

"You're going down, Lil."

Exhilarated and feeling surprisingly playful, Lilly headed after him.

"Unlikely," she returned, waiting until he peeked around the tree to send two snowballs thudding into his chest in quick succession

Realizing that Lilly had him pinned behind the tree, Scotty tried to think of a way he could get to the safety of the car without losing. He chuckled to himself. He hadn't expected Lilly to play along, but he was glad she had.

"Don't know if you can win if you're hiding, Valens," she called. Laughing, Scotty peered around at her. Her cheeks were flushed, blue eyes sparkling in the sunshine, and it had been a while since he'd seen her smile like that.

"Whose idea was this anyway?" he replied. He had to make a break for it, consequences be damned. _Probably make it to the car in one piece_ , he thought. _Unless..._

Scotty bolted around the tree, but instead of heading for the car, he ran towards Lilly. Because her mind was quite often one step ahead of his, Lilly quickly figured out that there was no way this was going to end well for her.

"Scotty," she said, holding her hands out in front of her, "Don't..."

With a gleeful laugh, Scotty dropped, catching her leg and pulling her down into a pile of fresh snow.

"Jesus, Scotty!"

"I won," he stated, "Say it." Lilly glared at him, and he threw one arm over her to pin her to the ground. She didn't bother to struggle, knowing that he was strong enough to stay there all day if he wanted.

"You cheated," she replied through gritted teeth. Scotty laughed.

"I what?"

Lilly sighed heavily, "Fine. You won."

"Now say it and mean it," he replied, but true to his word, he stood up. The male detective extended a hand to his partner. Lilly slipped her hand into his, allowing herself to be pulled up.

"You got lucky that time, Valens. I still win."

Scotty laughed, "Sure, Lil. Still, made you laugh, right?"

Granting him a grin, Lilly brushed snow out of her hair.

"My house is on the way back. You can wait while I change."

* * *

He was surprised when she didn't close the door in his face, and he took it as an invitation to wait inside.

Lilly shrugged off her sodden coat, leaving it to pool water on the floor. Not sure what to do with himself, Scotty stood awkwardly by the front door. Glancing at his partner, he felt his mouth run dry. Her shirt was soaked, the white almost transparent. It clung to her skin, hugging every curve and every angle, and Scotty couldn't help but remember how the edge of her spine had shivered under his palm.

Hearing his breath catch in his throat, Lilly glanced over her shoulder, swallowing hard when his eyes wandered a heated trail over her. It had been a long time since someone had looked at her like that.

"Stop," she whispered. Scotty blinked, smiling slightly.

"Stop what?"

Lilly sighed softly, then shook her head, turning towards him and folding her arms over her chest, which, Scotty thought, did nothing but draw his attention back to the outline of her body.

"There are towels in the closet, if you need one," she said instead. Scotty pushed off the wall, taking a step towards her. He was feeling bold, a feeling he'd been experiencing more and more over the past few weeks. Lilly watched him carefully, a deer caught in the headlights. He liked that he made her uncomfortable, he realized. _Means she cares least a little bit._

A drip of icy water ran down his spine and reminded him that he really did need that towel. But what he wouldn't give to push her up against the kitchen counter, to peel that soaked shirt down her arms, tracing every droplet of melted snow with his tongue.

And from the flush that was creeping onto her fair skin as he watched her, he was pretty sure Lil would let him.

As he brushed past her, admittedly much closer than he needed to be, Scotty let the scent of her hair fill his senses.

"When this case is done, Lil," he said in a rough voice, "Soon."

He headed down the hall to the closet. Lilly, knees weak, fell back against the wall.

"Shit."


	10. Chapter 10 - Lines In The Sand

A/N Thanks for the continued support. I didn't start writing this version of the story for the reviews, but I appreciate them and always enjoy hearing what you think. You'll be pleased to know I'm currently finishing up the re-write of Chapter 16, so updates should be more regular moving forwards. Hopefully over the holidays, I'll have time to finish the rest.

* * *

Lilly's tumble in the snow had unleashed whatever virus had laid dormant. She woke to a pounding head, an ache that permeated through her bones, and a nose that wouldn't stop dripping.

Stillman sounded surprised when she called out sick, but told her to take a couple of days anyway.

"Just one day, Boss," Lilly protested, but her plea was lost in a violent, hacking cough.

"Rest, Lil," he said firmly, "We'll be fine."

With the phone in her hand, she was tempted to make one more call. To tell him not to worry, she reasoned. But weren't they still dancing around that line in the sand? Friends and partners, nothing more. Lilly almost laughed out loud, knowing how ridiculous the words sounded even to her own mind. There was nothing 'friends' or 'partners' in how he looked at her last night.

But friends and partners was what she wanted, she reminded herself. She wasn't good at relationships. So she would do better at maintaining that line, because that was what. she. wanted.

And it was.

 _It was._

With a heavy sigh, she fell backwards on the bed. Olivia, her one eye blinking slowly, made a soft noise of discontent, then curled up again.

"Yeah," Lilly sighed, "I feel that way too."

* * *

Scotty hadn't slept well at all. After one particularly vivid dream had him taking a cold shower at three a.m, he'd given up, putting on a fresh pot of coffee and flipping through some work files.

When he got to work, frustrated and over-caffeinated, Stillman did nothing at all to improve his spirit.

"Rush called in sick."

Scotty felt his heart plummet. "Is she?"

Stillman peered over his glasses. "Is she what?"

"Sick."

"She sounded a little off. It's been a rough few months, so I let her have the day, tomorrow if she needs it." Scotty looked like he'd just been punched in the face, and Stillman sighed. "Is there something I should know?"

Scotty blinked, then quickly shook his head, "No, boss. Nothin'. Just worried about Lil."

Stillman hummed softly but didn't push.

"So, your interviews yesterday."

"Dead end. Mother didn't hear or see anythin'. Couldn't tell us why Dillon, Walker, whatever his name is, woulda been hangin' around her place. She did give Lil the name of the guy she's been seein', though. We talked to him, but got nothin'."

Stillman nodded. "Catch up with Nicky and Kat. Something's got to turn up."

Scotty was proud of himself for lasting as long as he did. He waited for his colleagues, shot the breeze with Vera, listened as Jeffries followed up with forensics, and managed to catch up on some paperwork.

"So Rush is sick?" Miller asked, setting another cup of coffee in front of him.

"Thanks. And yeah. Figure it's the flu or somethin'."

"You didn't speak to her yet?"

"She's sick," he said defensively, "Didn't want to bother her."

His colleague made a noise in the back of her throat that told him she thought he was full of shit.

"Well," Kat said instead, "Hopefully she's back tomorrow. You're not half as interesting, without her."

Scotty thought she was probably right, but nevertheless, it was a good couple of hours before he finally gave in to the nagging temptation to call his partner.

Lilly's morning had also been a challenge, but mostly because she felt like death and was unable to fall asleep again.

Her heart stuttered when, as she lay in bed staring at the phone, it started to ring in her hand. His name on her screen blinked at her accusingly, and with a sigh, she flipped it open.

"Rush," she croaked. Scotty blew out a long breath in her ear.

"Morning, Lil. You okay?" he asked after a moment. He sounded so pitifully concerned that Lilly felt anger bubble up. Besides, he had done this. He forced her into the snow. He had lowered her defenses, slipped past them, looked at her with those hungry eyes and made her _sick_.

"You need anythin'?" Scotty added.

"Sleep? Recuperation? To not be talking on the phone?" she replied, knowing there was an edge to her tone. She heard his sharp intake of breath.

"Look, Lil, I'm just makin' sure you're okay."

"Well, thanks for calling. I'm great, so you don't need to worry."

"So things get a little hot, feelin' a certain kinda way, an' suddenly you're sick?"

It hadn't occurred to her that he'd think she was intentionally avoiding him. She wasn't sure what it meant, that going out of her way to not be around him had never, not _once_ , crossed her mind as an option.

That it had crossed _his_ was a little insulting.

"You tackled me into a pile of snow, Valens. I'm _sick_. You _made_ me sick."

It was a low blow. She could hear him praying for patience, but was so fed up she couldn't find it in her to feel bad.

"You don't need to be such a..." he muttered.

"Such a what, Valens?" she interrupted, daring him to finish. He sighed heavily.

"Nothin'. Was jus' tryin' to be your friend. That's what we are, right?" The sarcasm wasn't lost on her.

"Dinner, dancing, massages. It was a mistake, Scotty," she said softly. His heart plummeted and the silence that stretched between them was vast and empty.

"So that's it, huh?" he said eventually, "Nothin' happened? Back to normal like everythin' is the same?" He gave a humorless chuckle. "Guess different ain't so great after all."

She had no response for him, so he swore softly, then said, "Feel better."

The line went dead in her ear. Lilly fell backwards on the bed.

 _There. Line drawn._

But a small part of her, a small, extremely loud part, was convinced she was standing on the wrong side of it.

* * *

After replaying her conversation with Scotty over and over, trying to convince herself she had done the right thing, Lilly had finally managed to fall asleep, but woke feeling worse than she had before. When a shower did absolutely nothing to soothe her aching muscles, only seared the skin off her back, she stumbled to the kitchen. From his position by the window, Tripod greeted her with a wide yawn.

Setting the water to boil, Lilly looked at her phone through bleary eyes, hoping that Stillman, or at least Miller, would have sent her an update on their case. Putting her phone on loudspeaker while she made hot tea, she was surprised to hear her that the solitary voicemail was from her partner.

"Lil, it's me." It sounded like he was outside, the wind a low whistle across the line. "I just...I'm sorry. 'Bout earlier. I shouldn't have...anyway, I'm sorry. Hope you're feelin' better. If you need anythin'...please call. Alright. Bye."

The message clicked off.

Scotty, it seemed, had made a lasting impact on her cat. At the sound of his voice, Olivia's ears pricked up, and she listened intently until the message ended. Fixing her owner with a judgmental glare, Olivia huffed a sigh, punctuated with a sharp meow. Lilly rolled her eyes.

"Oh, stop it."

* * *

Ruminating over what he believed to be the greatest fuck up of all time had kept Scotty in a foul mood for most of the day. Even Vera couldn't bring himself to tease his colleague, the thunderous look on Scotty's face more than enough of warning that any attempt to lighten the mood would not be welcome. Nobody said anything when Valens took off a little earlier than usual, but Jeffries and Miller exchanged a concerned look.

At 4:17 in the afternoon, Lilly still hadn't responded to his voicemail. Scotty picked up his phone and stared at it.

At 7:01, he'd typed out a message, then changed his mind, and thrown the phone into the depths of the couch. It'd be better in the morning. She'd come in, and he could grovel, and everything would be fine.

By 10:39 that night, a fresh layer of snow had buried the streets and his optimism. He should just call her and get it over with. _Then_ everything would be fine.

Twenty-eight minutes later, Scotty was convinced everything was ruined and he was doomed to see out his career with a partner that hated him.

So, at just past one in the morning, he was shocked to see her name flash up on his cell phone screen.

"Lil?"

"Hey," she croaked. His response was a sharp intake of breath.

"Is that a normal 'hey', or a you an' me 'hey'?"

"Both."

"I'm on my way. Fifteen minutes, Lil."

Scotty couldn't deny that he'd broken at least a couple of speed limits on the way. He fumbled in his pocket for the spare key she'd given him when she came out of hospital, hoping that she hadn't changed the locks.

Her house was dark, the only light coming from upstairs. Scotty headed up, dropping the bag of groceries on the counter as he passed.

"Lil?"

"Scotty?" came a weary croak from the bathroom. Breathing a sigh of relief, he gingerly pushed open the door, wincing at the sight of his partner slumped against the wall, arms slung loosely around the toilet bowl. What had started as the cold from Hell had obviously turned into some kind of sickness bug.

He flushed it, then crouched down beside her, one hand going straight to her forehead.

"You're burnin' up, Lil. We gotta get you to a doctor."

She shook her head, wincing at the sudden movement.

"No doctor," she protested weakly. Knowing it was a battle he wouldn't win, no matter how unwell she was, Scotty nodded, then sat down beside her.

"When did this start?" he said quietly.

"Few hours ago." She attempted a smile. "So attractive, right?"

"Hadn't noticed," he replied, but she could hear the laugh in his voice. He gently pulled her away from the toilet, reaching up to grab a towel and handing it to her.

"How's the case?" she asked after a while.

Scotty chuckled, rubbing her back. "Come on. Let's get you into bed."

"Can't," she groaned, missing the heat of his hand as it left her spine. Scotty stood, slowly sliding one arm underneath her legs and the other around her back. Lilly protested, her stomach rolling in displeasure, but he was still for a moment, and the warmth of his body soothed her.

"It's okay," he whispered into her hair. When she seemed to settle, he carried her the few steps down the hall, into her bedroom. It was strange, being in her private space. Not that he hadn't imagined it, just...not like this. He crossed to the bed, gently placing her on the rumpled sheets and pulling the comforter up to her chin. She moaned softly. Scotty grabbed the trash can and set it on the floor beside her.

He watched her for a minute, then crossed to the other side of the bed. Kicking off his shoes, he gingerly settled in the space beside her, his back against the headboard.

"Scotty?"

She sounded so pitiful that his heart kicked uncomfortably. Absently, he let one hand drift to her hair, fingers gently tangling in the soft blonde strands.

"I'm here, Lil," he replied softly, "Jus' sleep."

Lilly was still for a long time, and he wondered if she _had_ fallen asleep, but then she sighed.

"I'm not stupid, Scotty," she said quietly, "This. Us. Things are...changing."

The fingers that were massaging her scalp faltered.

"Talk about it tomorrow, Lil."

Almost asleep, her head spinning and her stomach churning, Lilly made a noise of dissatisfaction.

"But I _like_ you, Scotty," she mumbled, a frown creasing her brow, "With feelings."

It wasn't the most eloquent statement of affection he'd ever heard, but it did bring a grin to his face.

"I like you too, Lil. With feelings."

A slight smile curved her lips, and the rattle of her breath slowed, her body relaxing under the comforter.

"Okay."

* * *

Lilly didn't know how long she had slept, only that she felt better when she woke. She opened her eyes slowly, lying still. The roll of her stomach was weaker than it had been, the wave of nausea manageable. Blinking in the darkness of her room, the solitary street lamp outside her window just enough to cast everything in shadows, Lilly tried to remember how she'd made it from the bathroom to her bed.

She rolled over, pressing her face into the bed beside her, and at the smell of familiar aftershave lingering in her sheets, groaned.

 _Way to go, Lil. Great job maintaining that line._

Slowly, she sat up, wincing when it took a few seconds for the room to stop spinning. The clock read 5:17am. Gingerly setting her feet on the ground, Lilly ran a hand through her hair. She headed for the bathroom, and flipping on the light, her heart warmed at the glass of water by the sink. She gratefully took a sip then splashed cold water over her face.

When her stomach didn't protest the small amount of water, Lilly breathed a sigh of relief. A soft yowl from behind her had her turning. Tripod looked up at her mournfully.

"Are you hungry?" Lilly asked, feeling bad that amongst feeling terrible, she hadn't remembered to set food down. Tripod blinked, then turned to limp back down the stairs. The detective followed him, and running a hand through sleep tangled hair, she made her way into the living room. She came to a sudden stop, jumping at a soft snore from her sofa. Heart racing, she moved closer, breathing out in relief when it was only Scotty.

Only Scotty.

Scotty Valens was asleep on her sofa.

Lilly blinked in confusion. It hadn't occurred to her that he would have stayed. As she watched, he mumbled something and pulled her ratty old blanket tighter around him, a frown creasing his brow. Olivia, from her position at his feet, yawned, then jumped down.

Her owner, still trying to figure out why her partner was asleep on her couch, headed into the kitchen. She filled up the two bowls with dry food, knowing that wet food would make her stomach turn. As the cats ate, she leant against the fridge, savoring the cool metal against her back.

"Lilly!" Scotty gasped, sitting up suddenly. Startled, she looked over to see him breathing hard, face pale and damp in the moonlight. He released a shaky sigh, leaning back into the pillows, then muttered, "Christ, Valens, get a grip."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

At the soft voice from the darkness, Scotty jumped, his curse loud in the still night. Realizing that it was only his partner, he sighed again.

"You feelin' better? I can get outta your hair."

"Scotty."

He ran a hand over his face, the muscles of his jaw clenching. Lilly sat at the other end of the sofa.

"How long were you watchin'?"

"Long enough."

"Look, Lil, I don't wanna talk about it. 'Specially not now."

Steeling herself, Lilly pressed on. "Was it a nightmare?"

"Jesus, Rush..."

"We're friends, right?" Seeing heated anger start to brew in his dark eyes, she rushed on, "Friends share things. You can talk to me."

Scotty didn't have the heart to point out the irony in _her_ accusing _him_ of not sharing. He gave a resigned sigh.

"You're right. They are nightmares. Started a while back."

"What happens?"

He shrugged, dropping his head onto the back of the couch. "Stuff. Elissa. The woods. You, gettin' shot."

She flinched and quickly pulled back the hand that had been heading for his knee, "Sorry."

"Nobody's fault."

That was a lie, he thought bitterly. It was his fault, all of it. Just another thing she'd never forgive him for. Lilly swallowed hard, her aching bones protesting the cold of her living room. Knowing that she would get nothing more from him tonight, she stood.

"There's coffee in the cupboard. Blankets at the end of the hall if you're cold," she said quietly, heading for the stairs. When she looked back, Scotty offered a faint smile.

"Thanks, Lil."

She nodded. Sliding back under the covers of her own bed, Lilly felt tears prick the back of her eyes. _Good work, Lil. You managed to draw_ **and** _destroy that line all in one day. Not to mention your partner is having nightmares about when you stupidly let yourself get shot right in front of him._

 _What a fucking mess._


End file.
